Action Comedy War - Despite the appearances of the advertising, this is not an action-
and combat-heavy war film but more of a coming-of-age drama that
happens to be set in a military environment. That said, it is a bit
harsh and crude and mostly appealing to a male audience.

Berardinelli, Internet CriticFull ReviewVery Good Jarhead is compelling in the way it presents a new facet of a genre that some would argue was mined out long ago. Yet, as much as the film contains the familiar elements of war movies, the thrust is different.

Roger EbertFull ReviewVery Good It is not often that a movie catches exactly what it was like to be this person in this place at this time, but 'Jarhead' does. They say a story can be defined by how its characters change.

USA TodayFull ReviewGood Director Sam Mendes' third screen outing pretty well nails Swofford's tone, which was mordant without being disrespectful, and, in fact, is begrudgingly reverent of the Corps.

Note: The rating
above is our interpretation of what the critic would give this movie based on
their review. We are not affiliated with these critic's in any way.

OPINION OVERVIEWThe following is the original "What's Worth
Watching" write-up for this movie.

Moviegoer Opinions:

We collected 227 moviegoer opinions. Well it looks like the critics enjoyed "Jarhead" more than moviegoers. These are by no means bad opinions. They just aren't great. Younger moviegoers rated it the highest by far. Adult opinions, both male and female, are fairly low. Still half or better enjoyed this movie very much. There weren't very many adults who thought it was "Fantastic" or "Excellent." More rated it in the "Very Good" to "Good" range, which isn't bad but it's not likely to be a memorable movie.

Jarhead (the self-imposed moniker of the Marines) follows "Swoff" (Gyllenhaal),
a third-generation enlistee, from a sobering stint in boot camp to active duty,
sporting a sniper's rifle and a hundred-pound ruck on his back through Middle
East deserts with no cover from intolerable heat or from Iraqi soldiers, always
potentially just over the next horizon. Swoff and his fellow Marines sustain
themselves with sardonic humanity and wicked comedy on blazing desert fields in
a country they don't understand against an enemy they can't see for a cause they
don't fully fathom.

Sergeant Sykes (Foxx), a Marine lifer who heads up Swofford's scout/sniper
platoon, while Swoff's friend and mentor, Troy (Sarsgaard), is a die-hard member
of STA-their elite Marine Unit.

An irreverent and true account of a war that was antiseptically packaged a
decade ago.